Smitten with the Mitten

Dear beautiful, creative, courageous readership,

May I offer you my most sincere apologies for essentially disappearing for the 10 days without a word. I took an impromptu trip to Michigan (aka my parents' house) led by a craving for two flavors of ice cream native to the Great Lakes state: superman and Traverse City Cherry.

Before booking my flight, I had spent about 5 hours scouring the internet in hopes of encountering a company that could send these delicacies to my in Boston, but, alas, I found no such option. It turned out to be pretty good timing--my parents didn't have anything planned and I had some time off work and school--cha-ching! So I booked a flight. And I didn't bring my computer.

Visiting my parents/hometown/high school friends carries with it lukewarm nostalgia and the awkward anxiety you might feel watching a red, white, and blue lights flashing in your rearview mirror. I moved out when I was barely 18 and though I visit twice a year [Christmas and sometime in the summer] so to keep up on my 6-month dental visits I've realized it's been really difficult for my parents to keep up with how I'm changing and growing up." Thankfully, I'm a different person than I was when I left as well as halfway through college and even last summer, and it's challenging for my parents to assimilate that into their understanding of me as their daughter. That makes relationship hard for us both. We speak a different language. We want different things out of life. It's better now than it has really ever been but I doubt we will ever be any more than superficially close.

All the relationships are tough...yet I'm figuring out how to make them work. It's been 5 years since I moved out and, in that time, the longest time I've back was the 2 1/2weeks last August prior to the Boston move. This means I don't have many opportunities to see my Michigander friends and because I've always been one to choose quality over quantity ("quality time" is my #1 love language), lengthy one-on-one outings sprinkle my visits home instead of parties and bars and 'going to the game.' Some call it introversion. I call it intentionality.

So, I saw Jackie and Angela and my grandparents and Toni (and met her boyfriend, Lou). I cuddled with my parents' puppies, Rugby and Lance. I finally got to go up north and see the log cabin my uncle purchased in February. I saw my brother post-bar exam and he gave me a tour of his new digs in downtown Detroit. And, of course, I ate ice cream at least once a day.

And in return for me gracing the state with my presence, Michigan unleashed the mosquitos specifically craving my blood. Worth it.

Friends, that is the reason behind my absence from the interwebs. Next time, I promise that I will tell you in advance. 

Fall [pumpkin] Guacamole

The first time I went to the farmer's market this summer, I came back having bought lots of wonderful goodies, among which were 5 avocados purchased for a whopping $1 total. Woah, baby, was I excited! I came home and immediately smashed those babies up into some super scrumptious guacamole and Annie and Claire and I proceeded to sit on the couch with a bag of corn chips and eat it all. Yummmmmmm doesn't even begin to cover it.

Avocado is a summer-linked obsession. Pumpkin is my autumn/winter obsession. You can totally eat avocado all year round but I can only tolerate a certain number of obsessions at a time, so the avocado situation dies down for a few months while I consume pumpkin puree as one of my main food groups itself.

With little to no avocado, I end up with little to no guacamole which leaves me one dip short of a full life. Dips, as Marissa and I simultaneously confessed earlier this week, are the shit so I needed to come up with some mixture to temporarily replace guacamole's role in my life. This realization led me to the concoction of fall [pumpkin] guacamole:

1 part peanut butter 

to 2 parts pumpkin puree 

mixed with enough 

oats and raisins

to build a chunky but 

still smooth consistency

and pumpkin spice to your taste

used as dip for apples and celery

used as spread on rice cakes

and it's really good by the spoonful too :)

Green Bean Obsession

OMG!

As I sat in the Cincinnati airport waiting for the plane to arrive last Friday, my friend Marissa sent me an almost hysterical text message. She told me about this restaurant that is simply TO DIE FOR.

It's a giant salad bar...

That's my kind of bar!

It should be called Emily and Marissa's. The restaurant is actually called Green Bean and it's located in St. Louis' Central West End. All the meat and most of the produce is locally grown--that means its as fresh as fresh gets and your purchase is contributing to a more sustainable food economy.

I'm seriously obsessed. Marissa and I went after work on Thursday and our salad creations were as beautiful as they were delicious.

Field greens, asparagus, roasted red pepper, tomato, onion, pineapple, and tofu

I forgot to mention--their dressings are all homemade! 

(that means no gluten, and that means I had dressing on my salad!)

You may not believe me when I say I'm obsessed, so here's a story of obsession...

12:18pm 

(E) I WANT GREEN BEAN

(M)...don't even get me started. I TOLD YOU THAT YOU'D CRAVE IT 24/7!

(E) It's going to take a lot to keep me from going after I get off work at 2.

(M) Don't even resist it. You'll be more upset not going than if you did go. Wayyyy too good to pass up

(E) It's times like these when I sincerely love you for enabling me.)

12:30pm 

(M) I like to think of myself as the conscious that everyone is missing.

(E)Aww, good. I'm loving my thoughts about this future salad...

(M) I expect a picture with a full description. Ooo and try out as many dressings as possible!

(E) Oh, yes, I'm already planning.

1:04pm 

(M) I'll be needing the full scoop on your adventure there

(E) Less than an hour till I depart!

(M) 55 minutes and counting!

(E) Having a difficult time containing myself...

1:33pm 

(E) 30 minutes

(M) 26 minutes...

1:55pm 

(M) Umm 6 MINUTES

(E) Mouth salivating

(M) Guarantee your legs are twitching.

(E) Yeah, I can't even sit down.

(M) I don't know if the people are Green Bean understand what they have done to us. I'm not even going to green bean in 4 MINUTES and MY mouth is salivating.

(E) Ahhhh. I'm ready!!!!! (sitting in the ready position, with my jacket and sunglasses on, ready to leave)

(M) Conquer Green Bean!!!! 1. Create 2. Try dressings 3. Send txt for your punch card 4. Send me a picture 5. DEVOURRRRRRR.

2:15pm spinach and field greens mixed, roasted red pepper, cucumber, corn, onion, chicken, and lime dressing

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Raisin Cookies

DUDES! These cookies are unlike any other cookie.

These cookies are...

gluten free

dairy free

soy free

[added] sugar free

nut free

and can be egg free if you want

How'd I do it?

magic,

duh.

Ask my parents, I've never been fond of measuring and following recipes. That's probably why it's safer to let me cook than bake, but because of this gluten free, dairy free lifestyle my doctor has mandated for me, if I don't bake for myself no one else will. So I've been experimenting.

It started with the usual culprits:

2 1/2 c. almond flour

1 1/2 c. pumpkin puree

1/4 c. egg whites

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. xanthum gum

1 tbsp. pumpkin spice

as many chocolate chips as you desire

as many raisins as you desire

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.

3. Whisk in pumpkin puree egg whites. And mix in raisins and chocolate chips.

4. Plop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet, spread with fingers (no butter means they won't spread themselves).

5. Bake 12-15 minutes.

That was easy.

Pumpkin Parfait

I am an a-typical college student, and proud of it. Some may find it odd, but I function quite well at 5am and therefore I have made it known to my boss and so I am at work by 5:45 three days during the school week and on the other two I get up even earlier to bet in a pre-sunrise run. And on the weekend, sleeping past 7am is a rare occurrence.

But just because I am awake before 99% of this university population--student and staff combined--does not mean I wait for them to wake before I have a little moment of joy called breakfast.

Breakfast is sacred.
Take me to a breakfast restaurant and I can easily find something to eat without having to make half a dozen alterations to the meal because of my gluten-free needs.

Yesterday, my nerves were a twitching as I put the first bit in my mouth but...I almost died it was so good.

1/4 cup oats

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (or less if you're not an addict)

dash and a half of pumpkin spice

Directions:

Put it in a bowl and mix and enjoy. :)

B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Thank you Gwen Stefani for teaching me that 'banana' does not actually have a double 'n' after the first like I admit I've always thought.  If you don't know what the heck I'm goofily referring to, GO BACK TO THE TURN OF THE CENTURY AND LISTEN TO CHEEZY POP/ROCK.

Anyway...

Since I started distance running last spring (training began in January though so really since then), people have told me I'm crazy. psycho. loony. bananas. Whatever word they used, they've been complimenting me by putting me down. How's that work? I'm not a fan. People, these are mixed signals. You tell me I'm crazy but keep it up--you can't just redefine 'crazy' like that.

Now, there are also some people who tell me I'm crazy and mean it--not in the sense that I need to be put in a mental hospital to be treated for psychosis right away (or ever), but meaning that they don't think it's a well thought out idea. I can appreciate and respect those comments regarding my craziness much faster than the others. Yes, I like being propped up but the idea of saying something demeaning as encouragement does not sit well with me.

Whatever the case, whoever the commenter, thank you for thinking about me and caring enough to say something--good or bad. Your words keep me motivated...and keep me humble. But, honestly, I'm doing this for me. At first, I wanted to do this to make my mom be able to be proud of me for something. She's been a runner (though nothing more than a 10K) for as long as I can remember and so I figured she'd be able to connect with what I was doing and find something respectable and prideful in it. Well, I stopped holding my breath on that one. She encourages me to keep it up but it's not exactly the achievement of relational bonding I had hoped for...and that's okay (no lies, it was disappointing for awhile but that's how it is). I run for me. I run to help control my asthma. I run to clear my head. I run to feel. I run to be in the moment. I run to eat chocolate chip pancakes. I run to be proud of myself for doing something I thought I could never do.

And while we are talking about bananas, I just made 

gluten free, dairy free 

BANANA PANCAKES!

1 banana

1/2 c. egg whites

3 tbsp. almond flour

mash

pour 

flip

cool

eat

YOU CAN EAT THE WHOLE BATCH FOR

less than 200 calories 

(actual calorie count depends on the size of the banana)

approx 18g. protein

1 serving of fruit

100% YUM

Is there a group for that?

APA--addictive personalities anonymous.
does this exist?

if not, it probably should...
well, maybe not. It could be a breeding ground of boundary issues and enablement...or it could be a really supportive group of individuals trying their best to hold one another accountable. I suppose there's no way of really knowing.

After finding some stability, yours truly could be the president. I could most definitely be the poster child.

I get a tattoo--then I make that total increase to three in less than six months.
I want to start working out--I run at least 6 miles almost everyday.
I want to run a half marathon--then I sign up fora bunch more races.
I find I like 1/2 zip sweatshirts and running--I buy them in almost every color.
I like greek yogurt--I eat it for breakfast every day.
Introduce me to a great TV show--I hope it's on Netflix so I can watch every episode.
I enjoy my work and coworkers--and they like me since I pick up a bunch of shifts so I'm always there.
I begin doing something weird (like taking 2 hours to eat a carton of yogurt)--and its a habit.

Annoying? sometimes.YES
Problematic? ehh...depends who you ask YES
Addicted? I wouldn't call it that. YES

I don't remember when this came to my attention, but I've known for a few years that I have a ridiculously addictive personality. Basically, introduce me to something I like and I'm addicted within 48 hours. 

There have been multiple instances in the past few weeks in which I've told people if I could live on Panda Puffs alone, I totally would"and I'm so not kidding. Panda Puffs are the BOMB DOT COM. They're basically gluten-free peanut butter kix and I'm loving them. I found them for the first time over Easter break when I was visiting my parents up in Michigan and the rest is history. I really want to see if I can live on Panda Puffs alone for a week--let's plan this this summer.